Tea Love: Instilling a Love of Tea, One Sip At A Time

Posts tagged ‘tea drinking’

Britany Wallace (also known as Katrina Ember Blackwolf) is currently studying Business at Moravian College, 2012. She has been working on her blog KEB Perspectives since August 2011. We met at my alma mater and have kept in regular contact since I graduated. Now, she has agreed to help her fellow greyhound by writing a business-angled blog dedicated to, you guessed it, tea!

Read on and enjoy!

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I wrote this as a guest blogger on Tea Love‘s blog. I posted here for my own followers.

Most people receive periodic breaks during work hours to do what they wish: get up, walk around, men’s or ladies’ room breaks, and smoking are on the list. But, how many of those people take that brief reprieve to make themselves a warm cup of tea? Drinking tea has many effects on the drinker; both mentally and physically. Physically, some teas can have a positive and preventative effect on your immune systems and act as antiviral or antimicrobial substances. Other teas can have antiallergenic properties, as well as lowering blood pressure. Mentally, some teas can calm or soothe anxiety or confusion. Others are designed to ease headaches and relax the muscles to help sleep; and still others can aid in concentration and alertness. Some teas are made specifically to cure certain symptoms such as sore throats or upset stomachs. The herbs create a healing environment inside the body and promote bodily health, as herbs were used previously as healing medicines.

Too often, we take for granted those brief breaks we are given during the work day and we “abuse” them by using them for unproductive things. “While some stress is a normal part of the workplace, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and reduce your physical and emotional health. (Helpguide.org)” Those short breaks are designed with your health in mind! Combine tea drinking and other effortless and calming stress-relief techniques and you could have a much more productive day on your hands. In order to effectively deal with stress you have to recognize it and deal with it. A great way to deal with it, both proactively and retroactively, is to take more time out of the day just for YOU. Having a nice warm cup of herbal tea on your 15 minute break (or even during the day while you are working) can be all you need sometimes to just relax and breathe for a few seconds. It gives you the necessary time to regroup, rethink, ask new questions, or just chill and prepare to take on another part of your work.

Some alarming and interesting statistics can be found at Stress.org explaining how many people feel stressed at work and how severe it is. Nearly everyone has work-related stress; most of them do not know how to effectively handle it. Having a cup of tea on hand all day long can be calming and reassuring, but your short breaks are a great time to take a few minutes to have a healthy snack or take a 15 minute brisk walk around the office or around the block. Drink a bottle of water and eat an apple or some celery sticks. These short tasks are entirely focused on you and can make all the difference in your day. Take the time for yourself and ignore work for just those few minutes. Warmth spreads from the inside out, so a cup of tea is calming from the inside and the warm is relaxing.

Those of you who know me, know that I am a very stressed person by nature. But, for as hectic as my life gets sometimes, those few minutes just for me; without my family or friends, without my partner, without work or things to do, I can just relax and think about me. That time is mine and I do not allow anything to distract me. The best thing you can do for yourself to handle workplace stress is to develop positive habits and remove negative habits. Try not to do things which promote anxiety such as nail biting, smoking, or pacing. Some positive habits which might help you relax are to have a small, healthy snack, take a quick walk unrelated to work, write a thoughtful thank you note or brief letter to someone you care about and haven’t spoken to in a while. Some people use the time for meditations to help them relax.

In short, different herbal teas have many proactive health benefits and most have a healing element to them. Keeping a mug of warm tea at your desk is helpful to keep you on track, relaxed, and doing the best work that you can do. Utilize your brief breaks at work to take some time for yourself and de-stress. Use tea as a pick-me-up and to remind you there is goodness in the world! Happy drinking and Happy Holidays!